AUTHOR'S NOTE: All the Slayers characters are property of their
respective companies and distributions. I'm just a fan, please don't sue me.
This is an alternity fic with heavy angst, dark themes, and YAOI, so if you are
under 18 or the legal age in your state or country, offended by m/m
relationships, or can not handle really dark literature, than leave now!! I
won't be responsible for you if you do not! All music lyrics are property of me!
Domo arigato, and enjoy the fic!! =^.^=

CHAPTER TWO: The Night Dweller

Zelgadiss made the last left that led to Ameria's house. He
couldn't help but get wide eyed upon seeing the decadent three story house with
the huge marble pillars at the end of block.

"That's your house, Detective Saillune?" Zel asked in
awe.

Ameria nodded excitedly.

"Uh-huh!! Papa has been talking about getting a new one,
but he says this little place will be appropriate for now."

"Little?" Zel choked on that word.

He eased the car around the bend and up the long path to the
main gates of the Saillune estate. Stopping at the gates, one of the guards
checked them in and opened the huge metal gates. Zel nervously eased his police
car through the opening and up the steep incline.

"How much further to your place?" Zel questioned,
realizing that the path seemed to be endless.

"Just over this hill!" Ameria answered, her voice full
of excitement.

Zel drove the car over the small hill and stared at the huge
mansion in front of him. It was three stories, just as one could see from the
street, but each story had to have at least twelve windows to them. Zelgadiss
awkwardly made his way to the front of the mansion, where a valet offered to
take his car.

"Um, no, that's okay. I need to get some stuff out of
it."

The valet nodded and went off to do his other duties. Ameria
hopped out of the car and quickly took off up the steps.

"Detective Greywars!! Aren't you coming in?"

"I'll join you in a minute, Detective Saillune. I have to
get something out of my car first."

Ameria nodded and quickly ran into the house, two servants
immediately following her.

Zelgadiss got out of his car and looked in awe about the estate.
He had never even stayed in a hotel as fancy as this place. He shook his head
and sighed, wondering for a moment what it would be like to have that much
money.

Zelgadiss popped open the trunk of his car and began rummaging
through a couple duffel bags he kept in back in case of emergencies. He hadn't
thought about his own clothes for the undercover assignment, more worried about
Ameria sticking out like a sore thumb. After a few moments of somewhat fruitless
searching, Zel came across a pair of worn black jeans and an old black leather
jacket he used when he still motorcycled.

"Well, it's not quite Goth, but it will have to suffice for
now." Zel absently thought to himself.

He looked around the estate, making sure no one seemed to be
outside. He had made a habit of changing outside if the necessity called for it.
Zelgadiss pulled off his black shoes and undid his brown suspenders and slipped
out of his brown slacks. He quickly hopped into the old black jeans before
anyone caught an unintentional show. Zel took off his tie and opened up his
white shirt down to his fourth button. He pulled on the old leather jacket and
stepped back into his shoes. So, he wasn't extremely Gothic, but in least most
of it was black. Taking his badge, his gun, and his bullets and concealing them
into his new attire wasn't easy, but he managed.

"Okay, let's see what the rookie came up with." Zel
mumbled.

Zelgadiss climbed up the huge front stairs and one of the
servants opened one of the huge wooden doors.

"Everything in this place is big!" Zel thought.

Zelgadiss quietly slipped in, his feet striking the black marble
floor and making a soft echo among the otherwise quiet surroundings

"I'd get so lost in here." He commented to himself.

The butler saw Zelgadiss and motioned for him to go into the
study where Ameria would join him momentarily.

Zel walked into the study and stared wide eyed at the rows of
bookshelves that graced the little room. Many of the books were from at least
the 1600's, if not earlier, and worth a small fortune in themselves.

"Miss Ameria will be with you in a moment, Mr. Greywars."
The butler stated coldly and sauntered off.

Zel sighed, feeling very out of class. He began to wander about
the study, his eyes studying the many old and diverse pieces of literature
gracing the room. He stopped for a moment to pick up a particularly old, and
somewhat dusty book, when a voice from the adjacent room caught his attention.
Zelgadiss furrowed his brow for a moment, and shook his head, thinking it might
have been his imagination.

"...I told you....no, that's not it...leave her out of
this..."

Zelgadiss's head snapped up. He knew that time he had heard
something. Without any shame or hesitation, he stood there, waiting to hear the
rest of the conversation and perhaps know the source of the voice.

"...You'll have the money...Give me a couple days...No, I
can't just get it without some kind of support...All right, I'll see what I can
do..."

"...Just leave us be...I don't care what the deal was...No,
I know...Yes...Yes...You'll get the money, just stop calling here, people will
get suspicious..."

"Hmm...sounds like the Mayor must be having a rather sordid
affair." Zel mused quietly.

"Detective Greywars?"

Zelgadiss was torn from his listening to look at Ameria. The
young detective wore a white blouse and a black skirt with a pair of black high
heels.

"Will this work?"

Zel frowned and approached Ameria.

"Only if I can make a couple adjustments."

"Of course, Detective, you know what's best!"

"Do you have a scissors?"

Ameria looked at Zelgadiss very confused, but went over to the
study desk and pulled open one of the drawers. She dug around and pulled out a
pair of scissors. Zel walked over and took them.

"What do you plan to do with those?"

"This."
Zelgadiss cut into Ameria's black skirt, and tore the material until the black
skirt barely went past her thighs. He then took the scissors and cut off her
long sleeves and popped off two of her buttons. Ameria looked at Zel in horror.

"Detective!!" She shrieked.

Zelgadiss sighed, and took the piece of leftover skirt material
and tied it around Ameria's neck, styled like a leash.

"We're going to The Maze, Detective Saillune, not a fashion
show. Try and look the part."

Ameria stared at Zel and her bottom lip quivered a little.

Zelgadiss sighed and somewhat awkwardly patted Ameria on the
shoulder.

"It's okay, we just need to keep in mind what kind of
people we're going undercover with."

Ameria nodded, openly mourning the loss of her sleeves on her
blouse.

"We'd better go. Have you said good-bye to your
father?"

"That's right!! Papa!!!"

Ameria quickly walked out of the room, Zel following a little
ways behind her. She poked her head into a room a couple doors down.

Mayor Saillune was in the middle of a somewhat uncomfortable
conversation, the way he was pacing. He looked up to see Ameria standing there,
with Zel joining her in a moment.

"What?! Oh, no one, Ameria. Just someone trying to sell me
more insurance."

Zelgadiss narrowed his eyes only slightly. He knew the Mayor was
lying, but then again, it was none of his business. He was out to find Gourry
Gabriev, not bust corrupt officials.

"We're just leaving, Papa, and I wanted to say
good-bye!"

Ameria ran over and hugged Mayor Saillune.

"Good heavens, Ameria, with that outfit? Where in the world
are you taking my little girl, Detective Greywars?" Mayor Saillune
demanded.

"She'll be with me the whole night, sir, and since it's
police business I am not at liberty to divulge that information."

Mayor Saillune frowned deeply, but sighed and hugged Ameria
again.

"Now, sweetheart, I want you to make sure and stay close to
Detective Greywars."

"I will, Papa!!" Ameria squealed happily and then left
her father's embrace and headed out the door. Zelgadiss began to follow when he
heard Mayor Saillune behind him.

"Oh, and Detective Greywars?"

Zel turned back around.

"Yes, sir?"

"If even one hair of hers if missing, I'm going to turn
over my little gift of you keeping your job after your last little
incident."

Zelgadiss unconsciously frowned, but nodded.

"I'll keep her safe, sir."

"You do that, Detective." Mayor Saillune stated
flatly.

Zelgadiss sighed, stepping out of the room and down the hall.
His mind raced for a moment over the bits of conversation he had heard only
minutes before. He quickly pushed them out of his thoughts, remembering that he
was supposed to find a person, not worry about things that had nothing to do
with the case.

When Zel got out of the mansion, Ameria was already waiting in
the car. She was more than excited, and Zelgadiss rolled his eyes before he
opened the driver's door and got in.

Zelgadiss looked at his watch. It was around eleven a.m. The
Maze didn't start any action until at least nine p.m.

"Well, the Red Light District doesn't go into action until
about nine p.m."

"So, what do we do until then?"

"We plan, Detective Saillune. We plan carefully." Zel
said flatly.

With that, Zelgadiss turned the police car around and made his
way out of the Saillune estate.

"Just wait, Gourry Gabriev. I don't care how long I have to
search through The Maze, I will find you..."

*****

Ameria sighed impatiently, sitting in the other seat of the
Zel's police car. They had parked about a mile from the Red Light District. If
she knew she was going to have to walk so far, she would have worn flats
instead.

Zelgadiss turned to look at Ameria sternly.

"It's around 10 p.m. now Detective Saillune. Many of the
local color will be up and about The Maze. We're looking for Gourry Gabriev. He
has deep blue eyes, a set of bangs that cover his right eye, long gold hair
somewhere to his mid-back, maybe even longer, and he stands around six foot or
six foot one. He may have dyed his hair or changed his eye color, we don't
know."

"Do you have a picture, Detective Greywars?" Ameria
asked.

"I don't need one." Zel stated flatly. That was the
truth too. Gourry's image was so burned into his mind, even when he went over
the plan for the tenth time with Ameria that afternoon, his face played in the
back of his memory.

"Detective Greywars, why do they call the Red Light
District 'The Maze'?"

"You'll see. Come on, let's go find The Night
Dweller."

Zelgadiss got out of the car, followed quickly by Ameria. He
secured the locks on the door and armed the alarm. He took Ameria by the hand
and they began to walk silently down one of the streets to the Red Light
District.

"Now Detective Saillune, repeat to me what the plan
is."

"Again?!"

"Do it, Detective!"

Ameria bit her lip and got a little teary eyed. No one had ever
talked to her the way Zelgadiss did, and she was pretty sure she didn't like it.

"Well," Ameria sniffed a little. "You and I are
husband and wife. Your name is Jason Canton, and I'm your wife Suzanne. We're
both a very sexually adventurous couple who's looking for a male partner to join
in a menagie trois. Detective, what is a menagie trois?"

"I'll explain it to you sometime, Saillune. Continue."

"We stay near the bar, keeping an eye on the local
inhabitants. If either one of us sees Gourry Gabriev, we ask the other 'Would
you like a Bloody Mary, dear?' and that's the indication that we've found the
person."

"Correct." Zelgadiss nodded approvingly.

"But, Detective Greywars, what do we do when we find
him?"

"We hire him."

"What?!" Ameria was more shocked now than when Zel had
cut off her skirt.

"We need to get him alone, away from the crowd. We're
trying to avoid showing our badges."

"But, Detective, isn't that unjust? It goes completely
against some of the core rules in the police handbook."

"Rule one, Saillune, never pay attention to those
rules."

"But..."

Before Ameria could finish her sentence, Zel and her came around
the block and was greeted by what seemed like a thousand neon lights all
flashing at once. Ameria's eyes grew wide and she unconsciously gripped
Zelgadiss's hand tighter.

"Detective Greywars..." she mumbled.

"Welcome to The Maze, Suzanne." Zel said flatly,
making sure he said Ameria's pseudonym. "This place earned it's name
because if you don't know where you're going, you're not going to get out until
some time the next morning. This isn't a place you want to be stuck in
overnight, trust me."

Ameria only nodded, scrunching against Zelgadiss closer as they
made their way into the crowd. Ameria had never seen so many lights with 'XXX'
attached on them. Stores that had leather and chains hanging from the window,
and people who were dressed just enough to keep the chill from the slightly cool
spring breeze from freezing them.

"Hey there, pretty thing, I bet I can make you sing like a
songbird." A young woman with pink streaked hair and a thickly made up face
shouted at Ameria.

Ameria blushed and laced her arm through Zel's, almost melding
her body to his side.

"Do you know where you're going, Jason?" Ameria was
mindful to use Zel's alternate name also.

"Yah, I do."

"How come you know your way around this place so
well?"

"Let's just say I've been down here a few times,
Suzanne."

Ameria wanted to ask more, but from the look on Zelgadiss's
face, decided that it would be inappropriate to push the topic.

They continued in silence down the narrow winding roads, each
turn seeming to drag them deeper and deeper into the core of the Red Light
District. The farther and farther they went, the more Ameria became
disorientated with her surroundings.

Finally, the duo made it around the corner and across the street
stood a black building with two stone gargoyles on either side of the door.
There was a line of people dressed even more bizarre than the ones that had been
on the outskirts of The Maze. Ameria had never seen so much black vinyl,
leather, black lipstick, long nails, or blood red eye shadow in her life. Even
the men wore makeup.

Zelgadiss pulled Ameria, noticing she was hesitating. He didn't
bother to get into line, only walked up to the bodyguard in front of the club.
He turned and looked Zel and Ameria up and down.

"The lines back there." He stated flatly.

"What's your name?" Zel questioned back.

"Valgarv...why, who wants to know?"

"Well, Valgarv, my wife Suzanne and I are very interested
in getting into this club. Would five hundred dollars be sufficient enough
tip?"

Ameria's eyes went wide as Zelgadiss pulled out his wallet and
counted out five hundred dollar bills. Valgarv could hardly keep himself from
salivating over the money. He immediately grabbed the cash and opened the door
for the duo.

"And you folks have a great night!!" Valgarv shouted
cheerfully behind them.

They walked down a small, narrow corridor, flashing with strobe
lights. Ameria felt her stomach flip-flop from the motion.

"Jason, you didn't have the money for that!" Ameria
shouted over the onslaught of music that was beginning to echo through the
passage.

"I know!! They're counterfeit bills I took from the
evidence check room!"

"What?! Jason, that's unjust!!"

"Oh, get used to it, Suzanne!" Zel shouted back,
annoyed.

Zelgadiss and Ameria made their way out of the corridor and into
the main club.

"Oh my heavens..." was all Ameria was able to say.

The club in itself was much larger than it appeared from the
front. There was a huge dance floor in the very center. The floor was packed
with more people than it should have theoretically held. The air was thick with
cigarette smoke and the light scent of marijuana. The tables were packed with
people clad in black leather, lace, and vinyl. A girl sauntered by Zel and
Ameria carrying a bull whip.

"What kind of place is this?!" Ameria shouted over the
music.

"It's a Goth club with some underground S&M
services!" Zel responded back.

"What's S&M?!"

Zelgadiss turned and stared at Ameria for a moment, and shook
his head.

"I'll explain it to you later!!" He sighed.

Zelgadiss made sure he had his grip on Ameria and pushed through
the crowd. Ameria couldn't help but stare at the people they passed. There were
women who looked like men, men who looked like women, and some people who looked
like both.

Zelgadiss sat down at the bar, pushing a rather large man to the
side a little so that Ameria could sit. The larger man gave Zel a dirty look,
and Ameria was sure a fight was about to break out, but he only flipped Zel the
bird and sauntered off.

The bartender turned around, a tall wolfman clad in leather
pants and a leather vest that had the name "Dilgear" engraved into the
material.

"What can I get for you?" Dilgear asked impatiently.

"I'll have a Queen Royale."

Dilgear nodded. "And what about your lady friend,
mister?"

"Wha?...oh, um, I'll have whatever he's having."

Dilgear nodded, narrowing his eyes for a moment at Zel and
Ameria.

"So, that's two Queen Royales?"

"Yah." Zel responded flatly.

Ameria turned a little in her bar stool, watching the people on
the dance floor. It didn't seem much like dancing to her. More like a bunch of
people grinding into whomever was conveniently nearby. She sighed, finding
herself even more out of place than she felt back at the beginning to The Maze.
She was very grateful that Zelgadiss was there to keep her safe.

"Two Queen Royales." Dilgear set two tall glasses of
creme styled liquor and rum with a shot of cola in front of Ameria and Zelgadiss.

"Busy night tonight." Zelgadiss mentioned casually as
Dilgear was about to turn away.

"Why do you ask?" the wolfman questioned, turning back
suspiciously.

"My wife Suzanne and I are looking for a little help,
Dilgear...is that correct?"

"Yah, that's my name...what kind of help?"

"Well, we're a little new to this S&M scene, and we
thought we'd try a menagie trois with a pretty young man. Rumor has it that
there are some exceptional ones that hang around this particular
nightclub."

"I'm a ladies man myself, mister, but yah, there's a few
pretty guys around here."

"There's one in particular we're looking for. My wife and I
were told that an unusually long golden haired boy with blue eyes comes here a
lot."

Dilgear immediately changed his attitude.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do, Dilgear. Perhaps I could refresh your
memory." Zelgadiss took out a couple more counterfeit hundreds and laid
them on the table. Dilgear stared at the money and quickly scooped it up.

"Yah, pretty young man with golden hair down to his butt,
and bangs over one of his eyes. Has really bright, almost sapphire colored
eyes."

"That would be him." Zel stated. "What can you
tell us about him?"

"Don't know...mind's getting a little fuzzy right
here..." Dilgear began to wander.

Zelgadiss fetched another one of the bills from his wallet and
slapped it on the bar. Dilgear grabbed it quickly, and stuffed it into his vest
pocket with the other two.

"If you want Bleu, you gotta' find him first. He tends to
get picked up right away during the night, so if you haven't missed him already,
you probably will soon."

Ameria sighed, tuning out some of the conversation. She was
taken back by most of the action on the dance floor. Then something, or someone
caught her eye. It was the gold she saw among the black. After a moment, a
couple of people moved, and a mane of waist length hair was right in her view.
The person turned around, moving with a panther's grace. Even in the dim light,
Ameria could make out those deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a strange romantic
styled blue shirt, with the shoulders and elbows cut out. The shirt barely came
below his pecs. His legs were clad in skin tight leather pants with small holes
cut out of the side and from his knees down, a pair of wicked leather boots.

"That's...that's..." Ameria's mind was racing.

She quickly spun back around, trying to find the words to tell
Zel she had found their person.

"So, why do you call him Bleu?" Zel questioned Dilgear.

"Why? Oh, 'cuz unlike most of the locals, he never wears
all black, he's usually got something blue on, like a shirt. It's his
trademark."

Dilgear laughed wildly and slugged back the two Queen Royales
and grabbed the bill, stuffing it into his pants.

Zelgadiss grabbed Ameria by the hand and made their way onto the
dance floor. After a lot of pushing and shoving, they finally made it within a
few feet of where Gourry was dancing with one of the male patrons. He was the
same large man that Zel had pushed off the barstool only a little while before.

Zel pulled Ameria against him, dancing slow. Ameria's face
flushed, but she reminded herself that they were just acting, and she would have
to accept whatever came along with the case. No matter how humiliating it was.

Zelgadiss watched Gourry with the large man, keeping track of
his every movement. Then again, it was hard not too. The young man was like an
angel among a bunch of devils. Innocence among lies. Zel pushed those thoughts
quickly out of his head. There was no time for that.

The song ended, and another heavy bass song began. Gourry began
to walk away, when the larger man grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, pretty boy, I ain't done getting my dancing
yet."

"Lay off, Vulun, you got what you paid for."

"Damn cheap hooker...I'll show you..."

Vulun raised his hand to hit Gourry when Zelgadiss quickly
pulled away from Ameria and stepped between them. He caught Vulun's hand and
held it in a grip not seeming possible for one smaller than Vulun.

"I think the young man here said you got what you paid for.
Now, why don't you go ahead and let someone else enjoy his company." Zel's
words were like ice.

Vulun blinked and growled, pulling his wrist from Zel's hand and
rubbing it gently.

"Yah, just watch yourself, Bleu." He growled and
stomped off through the crowd.

"Hey, thanks." Gourry said.

Zel turned around and nodded.

"You want to dance...Bleu, was it?" Zel questioned.

Gourry bit his lip.

"Well, if you got the cash...but...but you did save my butt
a couple minutes ago, so I guess this can be a freebie." Gourry responded.

"Is that a 'yes' then?"

Gourry nodded and Zelgadiss reached behind him, pulling Ameria
up.

"My wife Suzanne."

"Hi..." Ameria could barely squeak.

Gourry nodded at Ameria.

"My name is Jason, we're looking for a young man to
accompany us home tonight."

Gourry suddenly grinned, a set of keyboard white teeth shining
under the dimness.

"Well, in that case, I guess it's not a freebie dance,
then."

Ameria blushed slightly, and pointed to the bar.
"I'm going to get a drink, Jason." She put extra emphasis on Zel's
pseudonym.

Zelgadiss frowned, but nodded, and Ameria returned to the bar,
sitting uncomfortably.

"Your wife seems a little awkward."

"It's her first time in here. Dance with me."

Gourry smirked as Zel pulled him close. They began to grind
against each other, the rhythm of the music heavy and slow.

"Come on baby, you got what I need, come on baby, I'm
just an animal on a leash. You got it right there, child, spread your legs and
let my monster in. You know it, baby, I'm the Original Sin..."

The lyrics echoed through Zel's mind, his body and soul
being entranced for that moment with the young man grinding against his body
slowly. He stared into Gourry's visible eye, seeing the passion that seemed to
be inflamed by the music.

The music ended, and the strange spell it had cast was broken.
Gourry pulled back, and rested his hands on his hips.

"So, are we going to go now?"

"Wha?..." Zel shook his head. "Yah, that's
right...Gourry Gabriev."

Gourry's eyes went wide upon hearing his name.

"How did you know who I was?!" He demanded loudly as
the next song started blasting through the speakers.

"My name is Detective Zelgadiss Greywars, Mr. Gabriev. I'm
not Jason and the young woman with me is not my wife. Her name is Detective
Ameria Saillune, Worthing police. We would like you to come with us,
please."

Gourry began to back up, trying to get to the nearby exit door.

"I didn't do anything...I haven't even sold myself
tonight...is this a bust?!"

Zel shook his head and grabbed Gourry's wrist.

"We're not here to arrest you, Mr. Gabriev, we're hear to
discuss with you a series of murders that have occurred recently."

"I haven't killed anyone!"

"We know that, but they were associates of yours."

Gourry tried to pull out of Zel's grip.

"I don't have any associates."

"Do the names Garv and Martina ring a bell?"

"Who cares?"

"Mr. Gabriev, they're both dead and we have suspicion to
believe that you may be next."

Gourry stopped struggling immediately.

"What did you say?"

"I said that both your associates are dead, they were shot
to death. We believe you may be next, and if you have any information that could
be vital to us catching whomever is doing this, we'd appreciate it."

Gourry stood there, staring at Zel. Zel could tell that
everything was slowly sinking into his mind. He began to tremble a little, and
it looked as though he would faint.
"Mr. Gabriev?" Zel questioned.

"I...I don't have to go to the station...do I?..."

Zelgadiss was thoughtful. This was breaking the rules majorly,
but he nodded.

"We can go somewhere that you're comfortable."

Gourry nodded.

"All right, I'll come with you, but the moment I get the
suspicion you've got more than talking to me on your mind, I bolt."

"Deal."

Gourry walked in front of Zelgadiss, and the chimera followed
silently behind him. They only stopped to grab Ameria, who had made the mistake
of drinking a Queen Royale that Dilgear had given her on the house. She was
pretty unsteady on her feet, and had to be supported by Zelgadiss.

The trio made their way out of The Night Dweller and into the
streets of The Maze. The local color were out in full force now, and the trio
blended in well with them, especially since Gourry was accompanying them.

Zel was grateful now for Gourry, because the young man knew his
way better around The Maze than even he did. Within ten minutes, they were out
of the Red Light District, and walking on the street that lead to Zel's police
car.

Gourry was silent, his eyes downcast and watching the dark
sidewalk. Zel watched him silently, as he continued to support a very drunk
Ameria.

"Where do you want to go, Mr. Gabriev?" Zel asked
quietly, now that they were out of the din of The Maze.

"Sam's Cafe." Gourry responded flatly.

They reached the car in silence, and Zel opened the back door,
flopping Ameria on the back seat, letting her fall asleep. He opened the front
passenger's door, and motioned for Gourry to get in.

"Hey, aren't I suppose to be sitting in back?" He
asked sarcastically.

"I remind you, Mr. Gabriev, you are not under arrest. We're
just getting some information."

"Yah, and if I say one thing wrong, you'll throw the 'cuffs
on me." Gourry spat back.

Zel sighed and closed Gourry's door, walking over to his and
opening it. He climbed in, relaxing in the seat. Gourry stared at him coldly,
and Zelgadiss just glared back.

"Where's this Sam's Cafe?"

"On the corner of West and Jackson." Gourry mumbled,
crossing his arms and frowning deeply.

"Okay..." Zel rolled his eyes. Gourry might have been
good looking, but he was stubborn. Zel wasn't in the mood for those kind of
antics, but he kept his opinion to himself.

"He's a street brat hooker...but, damn, what a
body..." Zel shook his head and sighed.

"He's pretty hot for a cop..." Gourry absently thought
to himself, but frowned and pushed the thought out of his head.

Zel eased the car out of it's parking space, and the trio drove in relative
silence, that only being interrupted by Ameria's occasional hiccups.